The process of making a glass bottle must be precisely controlled if the creation of bottle defects which would require the rejection and removal of formed bottles is to be minimized. In this process it is desirable to identify a defective bottle as quickly as possible and the ideal time is the time between the removal of a formed bottle from the machine and the time when the bottle enters the Lehr where it will be annealed. During this period of time the surface temperature of the glass bottle is very hot and camera based inspection systems are available that can record and evaluate the surface temperature of the bottle. Such systems also can present a color-coded representation of the heat pattern on the bottle surface.